NPR’s Asma Khalid speaks with Democratic Congressman Glenn Ivey of Maryland about the newly released findings of the ethics investigation into former Congressman Matt Gaetz.
Asma Khalid, host:
The House Ethics Committee said it believes former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) violated House rules and federal and state law. The committee released its report yesterday, and will now dig into it with one of its members, Democrat Glenn Ivey of Maryland. Good morning, Congressman.
Glenn Ivy: Good morning.
Dr. Khalid: What are the most significant findings in this report?
IVEY: Well, I think the overall conclusion is that there is substantial evidence that he violated the rules of the House of Representatives and committed acts that violate state and federal law. And these include prostitution, statutory rape, illegal drug use, and accepting impermissible gifts. So I thought those were definitely the most important ones and the ones that the media and the public were paying the most attention to.
Mr. Khalid: The former lawmaker has consistently denied these allegations. Matt Gaetz also pointed out that the Justice Department investigation ended without any charges being filed. So why, in your opinion, was the Justice Department’s investigation inadequate?
Ivey: The Department of Justice does not review ethics violations regarding the House of Representatives. In this case, they focus on criminal investigations. And another track. They do whatever they think is appropriate in their area. We do what is right within ourselves. We cooperate in some cases, but here we didn’t get as much cooperation from the Department of Justice as I would have liked. But that’s how we move forward, and that’s why we published the report.
Mr. Khalid: As you know, the Republican chairman of the committee opposed the release of this report. Gates is no longer a member of Congress, and he said the proposal “deviates from the committee’s established standards.” How do you respond to that criticism?
IVEY: Yeah, I think it’s pretty clear. When this was discussed, we reminded a number of members on the floor of the House that there have been at least four instances in which the House Ethics Committee has released a report after a member has left office, whether through resignation or retirement. I picked it up. means. And there is certainly precedent for that. And I think that was definitely appropriate given the findings here and the serious nature of the misconduct. I think this is something the people should know. And members of Congress should know as well. Because part of what an ethics committee does is to let other committee members know what the standards are and what lines they shouldn’t cross. And I think this report will help you do that here too.
Khalid: This was an ethics committee report. We were just talking about the Justice Department’s investigation into possible criminal activity there. Did you see anything in this report that would warrant any legal action against Gaetz, for example in Florida or at the federal level?
Ivy: Whether it’s a civil case or a state or federal prosecutor, I have to comply. I will let them draw their own conclusions. But that’s another reason why it makes sense to make this report available to the public. Anyone who wants to investigate this further, or pursue other cases in court, can do so using the information that is now publicly available.
Khalid: Okay. Well, thank you very much. The idea of the former congressman possibly running for the Senate has also been floated, so I’m sure we’ll all be following this story. Congressman Glenn Ivey, Democrat of Maryland, thank you very much for speaking with us this morning.
Ivy: Thanks for having me.
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